Lawyer in Cyprus

A lawyer in Cyprus is both an advocate and an advisor in legal situations. A Cyprus attorney can help prevent and solve legal issues by providing advice to local and international clients. Law firms in Cyprus must have the proper expertise in order to provide advice to and act for individuals and companies in all business sectors. The Advocates Law Chapter 2 regulates the legal activity of attorneys in Cyprus. This law also stipulates that the Cyprus Bar Association, the Disciplinary Board and the Legal Council are the supervising bodies for the legal profession in Cyprus.

Admission
At first, one must register as a trainee lawyer in Cyprus and perform a period of training of one year in a law firm in Cyprus or at the Attorney General’s office. After this period of time, the future Cypriot lawyer must pass an exam at the Legal Council. Once the exam is passed, the lawyer may now register as an advocate and begin practicing law in Cyprus. Working as a lawyer in Cyprus means performing law activities and having a strong knowledge of the Cypriot Law. Attorneys in Cyprus may perform law activities on behalf of individual clients or companies, but they can eventually become judges, court clerks and drafters of legislation.

Forms of practice
When it comes to the form of practicing law in Cyprus, a lawyer may act as a general counselor for a corporation registered in Cyprus. On the other hand, an attorney in Cyprus might choose to become a lawyer in a law firm in Cyprus. Also, a Cyprus lawyer might work for a legal services agency or prepare to advance as a prosecutor, public defender, county counselor or a city attorney. Law firms in Cyprus usually offer full services in corporate, commercial, financial or criminal law. In Cyprus, there is also the concept of associates who offer specialized support in corporate law and procedures of the Cyprus Legal System and businesses.

Since Cyprus is divided into six districts, each of them has a Local Bar Association, which includes all practicing lawyers in the specified area. All Local Bar Associations are included in the Cyprus Bar Association. In another words, the Cyprus Bar Association is the union of the practicing lawyers in Cyprus. Each Local Bar Association has to elect an attorney from the district to represent the other members in the Cyprus Bar Association.

Activities
Law firms in Cyprus provide a full range of legal services to companies all over the world doing business in the country. Since Cyprus offers a very attractive tax regime, lawyers in Cyprus usually focus on corporate and business law, foreign investments, communications and media, real estate, intellectual property, civil litigation and other legal issues. The field of activities for lawyers in Cyprus extends to contracts, securities, information and technology, commercial law, financial law and taxation.